Here they come; catch ’em, y’all!
Here on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, just an hour and 15 minutes east of the French Quarter of New Orleans, Mardi Gras fever is rising to a high pitch, as Fat Tuesday draws to within 4 days.
Long Beach High School band leads the local Mardi Gras Parade.
Mardi Gras colors of Gold, Green and Purple are in evidence everywhere here on the coast, especially in the many parades going on as the big event gets closer.
Even an area Shriner’s Tin Lizzie unit gets to throw some beads and candy in the parade.
The local, daily Sun-Herald newspaper has been full of adds for Mardi Gras supplies, including King Cakes, special foods, masks and other Mardi Gras regalia.
Great looking Mardi Gras hat!
Tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 21st, there are no fewer than SEVEN Mardi Gras Parades rolling off here, within 15-20 miles, and many more on Sunday, including the St. Paul Mardi Gras Parade in nearby Pass Christian, traditionally one of the finest on the coast!
Another Krewe member decorated up on a float.
GAZZODS! THAT WILL BE A LOT OF BEADS FLYING THROUGH THE AIR!!!
Several of the taller Mardi Gras floats just were able to pass by under the limbs of some low-hanging Live Oak trees along the Parade route.
Last Saturday afternoon, here in Long Beach where my little trailer is parked, the locals had their annual MG Parade, fairly short, but none-the-less, enjoyable for most folks attending.
Another great Mardi Gras hat, and evidence that everyone, even a family member in a play crib, comes to a Mardi Gras Parade!
Since the Long Beach Parade was only a short distance east of me, I drove on over to a place just off the parade route, parked the car, and grabbed my 4′ step ladder, and within a few minutes, set it up on a street corner intersection, about 15 feet from the railroad tracks, and was ready for the parade to pass by me two times on the circular route.
This Mardi Gras parade goer had a brew, a baby, a bead and ‘Kingly’ hat!
As I waited, I read a bit from Larry McMurtry’s ‘Lonesome Dove,’ which I am reading for the second time around. Great author, great book, if you haven’t read it or him.
“OK, Dad, I’m ready to catch some beads!”
As I perched there on top of my little ladder, situated high enough to see over the top of most everyone else, I paused frequently to watch hoards of parade goers, many brightly dressed for the occasion, pass by on their way to their own special standing or sitting site.
A couple of hours before the parade, the cart vendors seem to magically appear along the parade route, ready to sell their goodies.
The parade staging and start area, was situated just north of my perch a few blocks, so that when it actually did start, I would be plenty close enough to know the floats would be coming along fairly soon.
What’s the easiest way to tell at one of these parades you are in the deep south, in Mississippi, y’all?
Unlike the big parades in downtown New Orleans this coming weekend, Monday and Tuesday, this parade only had one high school band. Some of the NO parades this weekend have as many as 30 bands and marching units each, in addition to the dozens of huge festive floats and floats riders/bead throwers often numbering as high as 1000 of more!
The big parades in NOLA are sponsored by an single organization called a “KREWE.” Those parades, as I mentioned earlier, have dozens of brightly and extravagantly decorated floats. In the small parades around the coast here, the parades have from 25 to 90 floats which are all constructed, decorated and manned by members of a single ‘KREWE.’ Each of the smaller floats is a separate KREWE.
As the parade rolled on past my vantage point, I snapped a number of candid images of parade goers and Krewe members on floats. Even saw two of my co-workers from the Center enjoying the parade.
Co-worker Alisha brought her little daughter to the Long Beach parade, and they did all right in the beads department.
Tomorrow afternoon, one of the seven area Mardi Gras Parades is in downtown Gulfport, very near to the coast, about 15 minutes east of me, and passes right by the family tavern owned by Kerry, and his wife, Joannie, one of the maintenance guys I work with during the week. Probably some of the other fellows from the department will be on hand there, too, to watch the parade, toss down a few, and get pelted by bead throwers. As I don’t drink, I will probably take my Nikon along and snap a few people pics as the parade moves on through.
I put in for Tuesday off from work, and will probably drive over to New Orleans and join some friends on St. Charles Avenue for the ZULU, REX and others parades which will pass through there all day long.
This man sported an all pink ensemble at the parade…
The bad part is that you need to get there on St. Charles by 5:00-6:00am, to get a spot to park nearby and claim your spot for the parade. Much of the parade route will already have been claimed during the prior 2-3 days!
Spending a Fat Tuesday on St. Charles Avenue is where you really see the family side of Mardi Gras Parades in New Orleans; an amazing experience! A very long day, but also a great time!
Hopefully, Tuesday will be a beautiful day, and I will be able to snap some nice images of the festivities.
HAPPY MARDI GRAS, Y’ALL!
Coast Rat 